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Topic: No-Knead Sicilian With Blended Oil (Read 6793 times)

Just made an experimental pie. I didn't knead the dough, and I put provolone over the mozzarella, which is the opposite of my usual method. I also tried a blend of 50% canola and 50% olive oil, because I'm trying to create a frugal recipe for my church's cafe. The second photo is the underside of the crust.

The pie was great. The crust had a somewhat biscuity texture, which is nice. I added a little more water than I should have, so the dough tried to stick to my stone, but I managed to get it off. Now I'm running a clean cycle.

The oil is very good. Not quite as buttery tasting as light olive oil, but still nice. No complaints.

The provolone seems to taste much better when browned than mozzarella does. News to me.

My brand-new GFS quarter-sheet pan, which I only seasoned this morning, worked like a dream. The stone stuck, but the pan didn't. Go figure.

I am sorry to say I don't recall which flour I used. It was either BSM Golden Tiger or something like KA bread flour.

Thanks! I was really curious about that. May even try the method when I get the chance... and a hankering for that texture of crust.

I came up with what sounds to be quite a similar result trying to use a no name flour I picked up on a whim. Turned out to make really tender biscuits! But pizza crust? Not to my normal taste. Well actually, the taste was just fine, but the texture wasn't what I normally try for.

This is approximate. The exact proportions of water/yeast mixture to flour are 340 g/580 g. I don't put oil in the dough, but I cover it with oil while it rises, and I put a lot of oil in the pan with it. Pure cheap olive oil is better than blended oil or extra virgin.

The big challenge is browning and crisping the bottom. Here at home, I find the right pan, and I put it on the bottom rack. I get the oven hot, and I open the door before I put the pizza in, to make sure the bottom element turns on right before the pie goes in. I give it about 9 minutes, and then I take the pie out and finish it on a stone.

The sauce is basically Saporito cut nearly 1:1 with water, plus oil, oregano, garlic, and so on. I use GFS provolone and Costco mozzarella, 50/50. Stirring a tablespoon or so of oil into the cheese is a nice touch, and I always sprinkle oregano over the cheese before baking.

I should add that I always eat my pizza the same day I make the dough, so I use a lot of yeast and the rising time is very short. You may want to reduce the yeast and let it rise longer.

I have been yammered at for baking pies one hour after I mix the dough, so I made one of these with an overnight ferment. I omitted the IDY from the dough, which I did not knead, and then I sprinkled the yeast on it and folded it in. I used 1/4 teaspoon of yeast in about 1.5 cups of flour. I was afraid the long ferment would blow up the dough if I used too much yeast.

I followed my usual procedure, letting the dough rise once covered in oil and then again after being stretched to fit the pan.

The texture is crunchier and chewier than a 1-hour pie, but the 1-hour jobs are still fantastic. Unfortunately, there is no way to do overnight ferments when I bake in large quantities for my church.

Should have used more yeast; the pizza was not puffed up as much as I like. I am new at this all-night stuff.

I have been yammered at for baking pies one hour after I mix the dough,

So... tell 'em they can't have any since you don't want to subject them to a substandard product. That oughta shut 'em up!

I've been doing the same sort of fast rise routine for years due to a lack of abundant time, just as you describe. From a cold start it can be less than an hour for the pizza to exit the oven. Funny thing is it's almost invariably a better tasting pie than the Sicillians down the street... and theirs really is good. It did take a lot of practice tho.

Let the cold rise snobs eat breadsticks!

Oh, and thanks for presenting the no-rise method. I, for one, never considered such a thing and find it intriguing. Ill have to spring that on the family one day and see what they think.

I am so glad someone stood up and confirmed that you can make a great pizza without waiting four days or whatever. I'm not an idiot; I know good pizza when I taste it, and I know my pizza is the best I've ever eaten.

I think it would be fun to build a rig that bakes pizza at 900 degrees, but I absolutely love plain old New York pizza, baked in a deck oven, and my pizzas stomp on every New York pizza (thin or Sicilian) I've ever bought.

Now I'll get yelled at for calling Sicilian pizza "New York pizza," but that's a whole other mess. The Sicilian variety I like is the kind New York pizzerias serve, and I have no idea whether it resembles anything eaten in Sicily.

Talking about pizza shouldn't be like playing dodgeball. When a hobby gets too nerded up, you can barely open your mouth without someone trying to correct you.

By the way, I know very little about no-knead dough, and I deliberately did it the easiest way I could think of, so don't be amazed if you find a better way than mine.

Glad to help out! You present good info that contradicts the pizza orthodoxies that seem to abound.

I lurked about here for over half a year before I first posted. You and I would probably be considered heretics by the folks fixated on their pet method being the ONLY correct way to do things. Among other things I've seen you state quite correctly that good pizza can be made with various flours with widely varying gluten levels, that one can use lots of yeast and no cold rise, etc. I share most of your views and have even journeyed into more extreme levels of variance than you describe.

Making pizza isn't hard and doesn't require a major in chemistry or rocket science. It's really quite simple. However, producing an exact result day after day is a fine and difficult art. the people who have that level of control have my respect! That would be where the perfectionistic measurements and rigid methodologies come in.

I, for one, am very happy to vary method and ingredients each time for a diverse variety of flavors and textures to match my desires. For me there is no one best type or style or flavor when it comes to pizza. The "best" is whatever you are desiring to make at a given time. You either have the ability to match the desire, or you don't. It's a continual challenge.

I am so glad someone stood up and confirmed that you can make a great pizza without waiting four days or whatever. I'm not an idiot; I know good pizza when I taste it, and I know my pizza is the best I've ever eaten.

I think it would be fun to build a rig that bakes pizza at 900 degrees, but I absolutely love plain old New York pizza, baked in a deck oven, and my pizzas stomp on every New York pizza (thin or Sicilian) I've ever bought.

Now I'll get yelled at for calling Sicilian pizza "New York pizza," but that's a whole other mess. The Sicilian variety I like is the kind New York pizzerias serve, and I have no idea whether it resembles anything eaten in Sicily.

Talking about pizza shouldn't be like playing dodgeball. When a hobby gets too nerded up, you can barely open your mouth without someone trying to correct you.

By the way, I know very little about no-knead dough, and I deliberately did it the easiest way I could think of, so don't be amazed if you find a better way than mine.

I virtually always make & bake my dough same day. I tried making it the night before last weekend and letting it proof in the fridge overnight. It worked well and the pizza came out great. I'll do day before from now on but only for the convenience of having the dough made already on pizza making day (friday in our house).